‘Koch thinks his nephew has gone to stay for a while with his prison buddy, Hans. He couldn’t be sure, but he thinks Hans has an alias … Gunther or Klaus.’
Koch finished speaking and bid them both farewell with a sigh and a nod. After the door closed, Violet gulped and said in a small voice, ‘He thinks this Hans, or whatever his name is, has rented a villa in the woods around Saint-Cloud.’
Chapter 23
THE TIMESOFFICE, PARIS
‘I need to go to Saint-Cloud, George,’ said Charlie as she sat opposite her editor. He was working at the office, as he did most Saturdays unless he was travelling, and Charlie had just briefed him on the Schmidt–Schmidt–Koch links.
‘So we don’t think this young chap Alain is the suspect, it’s his acquaintance and cellmate?’
‘Correct. From what Alain’s uncle told us, Alain was a political prisoner. His only crime was to speak out against the German government.’ Charlie took a deep breath. ‘I confirmed it with Saarbrücken Prison. They were reluctant, of course, to discuss a political prisoner, but I also confirmed that his cellmate at the time was one Hans Fischer. Fischer was doing time, seven years, for stalking, assault and battery. Two young women intheir twenties. One he met at a tennis club, the other at a Munich Opera opening night. I know this because I called and asked our Munich desk to read me any translations about the Schmidt case—of which there was very little. Slightly more on Fischer. I have the clippings on their way.’ Charlie swallowed and waited for George to respond.
Her editor frowned and scratched his chin, so Charlie forged ahead. ‘This Hans also calls himself Gunther or Klaus, and lives near Saint-Cloud. Maisy Bell allegedly went with a Swiss man called Louis or Ludwig to a villa near Saint-Cloud. What if this is the same man? What if he is holding Maisy Bell against her will?’
‘But what if itwasthe missing man, Schmidt?’ George asked. ‘You said he matched the description Clementine Bell gave you—tall and dark. Albu also said the man with the sleeping Jouet was tall, dark and German.’ George shook his head. ‘Tall, dark Germans. Or Swiss. That narrows it down!’
‘But in Saint-Cloud, sir?’
‘A conflation of many circumstances. Could be a coincidence. Many tourists flock to Saint-Cloud in summer. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Why don’t you throw in all the Brits as well! And the Spaniards …’ He chuckled at his own reasoning.
‘The Mael and Jouet cases have to be connected. Theyhaveto be. And Auclair has the same gunshot wound in the nape of the neck. Three identical wounds … that’s more than acoincidence. I’m so close, George. I need to go to Saint-Cloud as soon as possible.’
‘Tours, Versailles, Saint-Cloud … when will this end?’
‘When I get to Saint-Cloud, I hope! I’ll bring you back the story.’
George swayed his swivel chair from side to side as he tapped his knuckles on his desk. ‘If I get this straight, you are going to Saint-Cloud to look for one young former con and his cellmate, both of German origin. Either one, or both, could be suspects in the deaths of these three men who were found in various forests in the region. Twenty-five hundred francs and five thousand francs sound like rather paltry amounts for one person to kill for, let alone two.’ His frown did not hide his scepticism. He didn’t acknowledge the possible link to Maisy Bell either.
‘I’m not saying either of the two former prisoners were involved, George. I just want to investigate this lead.’
‘I think you’d better leave the investigating part to the police. You’ve done your piece, now let the police do their work.’
‘I’ve no intention of interfering with police work,’ said Charlie. ‘I’ve called Detective Allard and given him the details of my conversations. He’s following it up with his officers in Versailles, cross-checking with what they have so far. I’ve arranged to meet the detective in Saint-Cloud first thing Monday morning.’
She looked at her feet and hoped that her boss did not notice the reddening of her cheeks. She could feel them heating and lether hair fall over her face just in case. If George Roberts got a whiff that Charlie had a crush on the lead detective of the case she was working on, he really would think she was a silly woman who let her emotions get in the way of her job.
‘So you think going to Saint-Cloud will shake out some leads on this latest murder? That you’ll finally have something concrete for me?’
‘Yes.’
George’s eyes narrowed. ‘I take it you will also be asking questions about Maisy Bell? Be careful, James. Just because you are dealing with an ex-con like Hans Fischer, it doesn’t mean he’s started up criminal antics here across the border.’
‘It also doesn’t mean he hasn’t. C’mon. The man has form with stalking and battery.’
‘Another reason for you, James, to stay well clear and leave this investigation to the police.’
‘I am leaving it to the police. I just want to be the first to write what the police uncover,’ she pleaded. ‘A woman is missing. Three men are dead, each shot in the head. I’m this close.’ Charlie held up her thumb and forefinger.
‘I still cannot see any links between Maisy Bell and your three dead victims.’
Charlie crossed her fingers under her notebook and said, ‘I’m investigating the three suspected homicides. Jouet, Mael and Auclair.’
‘Suspected?’ George snorted. ‘Did the victims accidentally shoot themselves at close range at the nape of the skull with a nine-millimetre weapon?’
Charlie remained silent.
George rapped his knuckles on the desk. ‘Very well, go to Saint-Cloud. But come home with something to publish.’